Georgetown : The Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2014 was last evening passed in the National Assembly without the support of the Government.
The intention of the Bill was to postpone the holding of elections of councillors of local democratic organs to before December 1, 2014. However, an amendment was tabled by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP, Ronald Bulkan, who was promoted as a front-bencher.
The amendment stated that these elections should be held before August 1, 2014 and was adopted with a majority vote.
Minister of Local Government, Norman Whittaker in his presentation reaffirmed Government’s commitment to the holding of Local Government elections and lamented that since the general elections of 2011 to date, the Administration is being treated as a doormat.
Some of the measures that the Government has taken to improve governance at the level of the organs include: improving revenue collection, and implementing expenditure controls.
He said that there is still a lot of preparatory work still to be put in place and as such, Bulkan’s amendment should not be carried. This request was not heeded and the Bill was passed with amendment for the elections to be held before August 1.
